Mozarkite

The Mozarkite Society of Lincoln, MO is having their annual rock show right now, from September 19-21. There is FREE admission! It is at the Lincoln City Park, Shelter House, behind Casey’s. Hours: Fri 9-5, Sat 9-4, Sun 9-4. Go to www.mozarkite.com for more information.

Mozarkite is a variety of quartz that comes in many colors including red, pink, purple, blue, and white, usually in pretty swirls. The name comes from Missouri and Ozarks, which is where mozarkite is often found. It is considered a semiprecious stone because it has a hardness of 7.5-7.75 on the Mohs scale, making it hard enough to be polished and made into jewelry. Mozarkite has been Missouri’s state rock ever since 1967.

Purple and blue mozarkite in an irregularly shaped rock and two polished green and purple mozarkite cabochons

Photos from the Mozarkite Society of Lincoln. http://www.mozarkite.com/samples.htm

Spying on IGAMS

We had loads of fun spying on the IGAMS (Independence Gem And Mineral Society) meeting to see what other rock clubs are up to. After all, there’s no rule against being in more than one club. We enjoyed seeing people’s rocks (Bruce had some nice loot from the Denver gem show), seeing our fellow rockhounds who we usually only see on special occasions, and listening to Mark Sherwood’s presentation on 3D printing. They also had great snacks. Meeting in a library is seriously limiting our snacking potential.

A man giving a presentation while standing next to a projector and a 3D printer.

Photo by Stephanie Reed

Mark Sherwood, the president of IGAMS, gave a presentation on 3D printing. He was printing out crystal models, just like the old wooden crystal models you sometimes see in museums.

About 15 people sitting or standing, looking at rocks and talking to one another.

Photo by Stephanie Reed

Rockhounds looking at each other’s rocks.

A Very Large Ammonite

Photo by Stephanie Reed

This ammonite is 11″ tall, 10″ wide, and very heavy. It is from the personal collection of David Reed, one of our members.

Yellow rutile stars in quartz

Clear colorless quartz with yellow rutilations that look like stars

Photo from: http://gem-sphalerite.com/inclusions-in-quartz-all-varieties/117-rutile-stars-inclusions-quartz-6864

This clear colorless quartz with yellow rutilations is too pretty not to share.

Big Red Petrified Wood

Photo by Stephanie Reed

A nice big chunk of petrified wood from the personal collection of David Reed, one of our members. It weighs over 100 pounds.

The Many Colors of Fluorite

Fluorite comes in just about every color of the rainbow, and is found all over the world in most areas of North America, Europe, and China. These are some of my favorite photos of fluorite.